The Winter Alchemist
by Halfblood Fiend
Summary: Lieutenant Colonel Alee Justicar just wants to put her past behind her. But when a State Alchemist serial killer shows his face, everything becomes a reminder. There is only so much pain that The Winter can be numb to. This story runs on a timeline parallel to the Brotherhood/manga storyline. Rated T for now, but will become very mature (MA in some places!) as the story progresses.
1. Making the Front Page

Introductions yaayyy! This is a fic I've been working on for a long time. It follows the manga/FMAB plot with my own character mingling with Hiromu Arakawa's characters and changing a thing or two hither and thither. No character and events are mine, but they are lovely enough to write about. Questions and comments encouraged, this will be a long affair. It starts off mild but will, and I mean _will_, get very mature later on. Much later on.

"Didn't you hear the big news?"

Colonel Roy Mustang threw a magazine down onto Lieutenant Colonel Alee Justicar's desk, making her jump.

She turned her sky blue eyes up to Roy's wide, gleeful face with a questioning look. "Sir?" she asked doubtfully. She hadn't even been listening to him, so she sincerely hoped he hadn't said anything important.

Roy just grinned and tapped on the magazine cover.

Alee looked down at it and immediately slammed her hand over the giant beaming picture of herself. "Ugh, here we go," she groaned, rolling her eyes.

Roy burst out laughing, doubling over her desk. Tears started streaming down his face.

Angrily, Alee rolled up the tabloid and hit him with it. He just raised his arms to ward off her harmless blows, still pointing and laughing. "'Most Beautiful Woman in Amestris,' huh?" he gasped finally, batting away her shots easily.

"Rrrrrr!" Alee wound up for a more powerful smack when Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc poked his head in the room.

"I think congratulations are in order, right ma'am? For being the most beautif-" The magazine flew hard into his face.

Colonel Mustang chuckled at Havoc's confused expression before wiping away the last stray tears from his face. He straightened up, running his fingers through his shock of messy black hair and took a deep breath. "Sorry, Alee. I couldn't resist! Though honestly, why did you even agree to their interview? You hate this kind of publicity. Even I know that."

Alee sighed and threw herself back into her high backed chair, letting her head fall into her hand. "When they forced me into the contest, I didn't think I'd actually _win_. I just wanted them to leave me alone and stop pestering me. Do people _really_ care about this garbage?"

"How could you think you weren't going to win?" Havoc asked, bringing the magazine back to Alee's desk. He glanced at the tabloid then looked away shyly mumbling, "S'not like you need to win a dumb contest to know that..."

Alee smiled sweetly at the tall man with rumpled dirty blonde hair. Like everyone else around here, he wore his standard issue gold embroidered, crisp, blue military uniform. The fact that it happened to be the same shade as his eyes was mere happy coincidence. He'd given her the warmest welcome when she'd first been transferred to East City Headquarters but she'd always secretly found him charming. The only thing keeping her away, was his smoking habit.

Roy, on the other hand, was Havoc's opposite. He was small of stature with jet black hair and eyes and, unlike Havoc, he didn't bat an eye at her transfer. He knew better. They were exes so she wasn't a novelty anymore. They were left with no awkwardness after their breakup, just a mutual understanding and a strong friendship, of which Alee was always grateful. Besides, Alee knew he was meant for a certain someone else.

He ignored her exchange with Havoc, leaned on the desk, and started thumbing through the magazine. "It's just a popularity contest, Alee. You're a _veteran_ of the Ishvalan War, the _youngest_ State Alchemist, not _to mention_ a rare beauty anyways. It'll blow over in no time, I'm sure."

"Don't let the First Lieutenant hear you," Alee teased, making him tense up. She allowed herself a satisfied smirk. It was always good to know that that woman was still his soft spot, even if he was in denial about it.

"Except that she's not the youngest State Alchemist anymore," Havoc reminded them. "Remember, there's Edward Elric now."

Alee frowned and looked down at her lap. Yes, the Fullmetal Alchemist. She'd met him back at Central Command and had been there three years ago for his State Licensing Exam. She had joined the military at sixteen; the youngest State Alchemist to boot (not to mention the first woman), but Ed? That poor boy was twelve when he became the military's dog, a good kid with good intentions. Alee laughed bitterly to herself. Didn't they all come in with_ "good intentions?"_ Anyways, she'd learned the hard way that sixteen was too young, she couldn't even imagine being _twelve._

"How could I forget?" Mustang groaned. "You know, I think he'll be stopping by soon. He's been asking questions about bio-alchemy. I might introduce him to Shou Tucker."

"The Sewing-Life Alchemist?" Havoc asked, surprised. "What for?"

"So _this_ is where you're hiding," a crisp voice interjected.

The three of them looked up to see First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye standing in the door frame. Her blonde hair was sleek and fastened back tightly, her small, pointed features turned into a frown, her piercing brown eyes glaring at the Colonel. The entire room seemed to shrink at her presence. Lucky for Alee and Havoc, the Colonel was her only prey.

"I've got your paperwork, sir. I think that break time is over," she said, no suggestion in her voice.

Roy didn't even bother arguing. He slumped out of the room dejectedly, casting Alee and Havoc a longing look before disappearing around the corner.

Havoc blew a long, low whistle. "The Lieutenant is unforgiving," he tsked, shaking his head.

"I'll say," Alee laughed. "I never want to be on her bad side."

"It's no fun," Havoc agreed, fingering the magazine Roy had left on her desk.

As the silence stretched between them, Alee looked over her photo on the cover. At least they'd used a good picture, she could thank the stars for that. Her soft pink lips stretched into a small, mysterious smile, just reaching her big, light blue eyes. Her long wavy blonde hair framed her lovely, slim face and cascaded over her fair skinned shoulders as she posed in front of the Central Command building. "Most Beautiful Woman in Amestris," indeed. To the left of her posing picture was the headline, "The Winter Alchemist Thawed Out!" Alee wrinkled her nose in disgust. Who came_ up _with this stuff?

"Sooooo...have you been able to get a hold of your old teacher?" Havoc asked, snapping Alee back to herself.

"No," she replied softly. "I haven't been able to. I've got no idea where he dropped off to." Alee frowned, thinking about her master's mysterious disappearance.

"Don't worry," Havoc soothed, reaching over to squeeze her hand gently. "I'm sure he'll turn up soon."

She turned her face up to give him a small, appreciative smile which he graciously returned. He was such a sweet man. If only he'd work up the courage to ask her out, she'd probably agree.

"Well, I guess I'd better get back to work too," he sighed. "See you at the same time for lunch, right?"

"You know it!"

He beamed brightly over his shoulder and waved before the door closed behind him with a sharp snap.


	2. Missing Persons

Alone in her small, messy office, Alee sighed. She looked around distractedly at all the alchemical and medicinal research books lining the walls, thinking about her master, Isaac McDougal, the Freezing Alchemist. He'd always made it a point to keep in touch which made his silence all the more disturbing. As his prodigy, he was as proud of her as he was frustrated when she had received her State Alchemist license. She'd taken his alchemy, an intricate water based science, and gone on, not only to apply it to medicine, but to become one of the most powerful alchemists in history. To its limits anyways.

All alchemists, of course, lived by three simple rules: obey the military, do not create gold, and absolutely, under no circumstances, transmute a human being. Alchemists were still bound by the laws of reality, namely, the conservation of mass. In order to tansmute something, something of equal value must be given up. This was the basal law of equivalent exchange. It made transmuting human beings a taboo, because there was nothing that could be exchanged that would equal a living, breathing, thinking person. It was strictly forbidden.

So, naturally, she'd attempted it.

And paid the ultimate price.

Isaac had been disappointed, but not at all surprised. "Greatness," he'd told her, "doesn't satisfy for long. I knew one day you would test the laws of the cosmos, but you, my dear, are not all powerful, and now you have to bear the burden of your transgressions."She had taken it in stride. Both kinder and harsher words had been spoken to her before but she had been glad for his understanding. He was like a father to her, more father-like than her own, and so the fact that he seemed to be ignoring her now made her extremely ill-at-ease.

Alee had never shared this with Jean, but she _had_ been contacted by Isaac recently enough.

A few weeks ago, a crazed, distracted Isaac called her in the wee hours of the morning with a puzzling, cryptic message. She'd barely had time to dissect the event herself, let alone tell anyone about it. Besides, she swore to stay silent…

_"Hullo? Whoisthis?" Alee mumbled sleepily, squinting at the numbers on the alarm clock on the bedside table. They read three twenty-six AM._

_"Alee?" Isaac's deep voice gasped. It wasn't slow and soothing like it usually was. He sounded awful, desperate, deranged._

_"Master?" Alee cried, instantly awake and alerted. "What's wrong? Why are you calling me now? Has something happened? Where are you? I've been looking all over the place for you! When I stopped getting your letters, I didn't know what to think! And no one has seen or heard from you—"_

_"Stop! Alee! Shut up, I don't have much time!"_

_Alee's words died in her throat. She was taken aback and extremely hurt. Isaac has never spoken to her that way before, not even when he learned she'd attempted human transmutation._

_He made an exasperated sound on the other side of the line."Look, I'm sorry, Alee," he said more calmly now, but it sounded forced. "I know you must have been worried but there's no time for that now. I've discovered something…something terrible within the military."_

_Alee just listened in stunned silence._

_"There's too much to explain. I won't explain, I couldn't bear to think of them coming after you because of me… Which is why if they ask you anything, _anything at all about me_, you must claim ignorance. Never speak to anyone of this. Promise me." He waited for her to respond, but dread had made her whole body go numb. "Promise me, Alee!" he snapped._

_"Y-yes," she stuttered. "I-I promise, Isaac…"_

_He breathed a shaky sigh of relief. "Good… Good girl. You've grown up so much in all these years into such a glorious woman. You were a perfect pupil who became more than I had ever hoped you could be. I…" He paused. Alee hung onto the phone like it was a lifeline. "Alee, I need you to listen to me now, the way you always have, are you paying attention?"_

_Alee nodded mutely before realizing he couldn't see her. She carefully licked her dry lips and whispered, "Yes."_

_"You need to leave the country. Please? You _must_ quit the military and flee the country as soon as possible! It's not safe. The military is dangerous, trust no one! They have been up to terrible things, really horrible workings, things you can't even imagine…" He stopped again. Alee couldn't breathe. Was he in pain? Where was he? And what was all this military nonsense? "Can you do this?"_

_Alee didn't know what to say. Quit the military she had been a part of, worked so hard for, for twelve years? It was preposterous! This was crazy. She just wanted to see Isaac, help him, make him stop talking so crazy. He was really staring to scare her. "Yes?" she finally managed, feeling tears spring to her eyes. What else could she possibly say to a madman?_

_"I need you to do this, Alee. I need you to be strong, stick to your convictions, think for yourself…like you did in Ishval…my Ice Angel."_

_She gasped. She thought no one knew about that. Maybe it was a coincidence? Did he even realize what he was saying now?_

_"I'm about to do something…" he whispered now, more to himself than to Alee. "I have to act. I cannot forgive myself if I simply stood by, not again, not like in Ishval—"_

_Was he cracking?_

_"It's a slim chance it will work. We are dealing with greater powers now—"_

_"Isaac, please," Alee begged, finally finding her voice. "Come here, to the east. I've just been transferred, but you can stay with me. Please come find me. Talk to me. Isaac…" The tears spilled over, falling, unbidden, down her cheeks._

_He laughed humorlessly in response. "Were it so easy," he murmured. "Alee? Whatever happens… I hope… I just wanted you… Nngh! Just, be safe, Alee. Do as I say. If all goes well, I will come find you, if not…." The line went silent for such a long time, Alee wasn't even sure if he was still on the the other side. "Alee, I love you." Then the line clicked off as Isaac hung up, leaving Alee clutching the dead receiver._

That was two weeks ago.

True to her word, she hadn't told a soul, but she certainly hadn't fled the country and she definitely wasn't quitting the military any time soon.

She'd kept her eyes and ears peeled for any news of activity (within and without the military) but there was none of that. There was no sign of Isaac anywhere. Not that she knew quite what to say to him if he did turn up. His message had left her unnerved to say the least, with his last words ringing in her ears for days.

But where was he _now_?

~A Note From the Author~

My apologies for it being so short. The next bit will come out soon (probably the weekend when I don't have practice) and then from there, the chapters will get pretty lengthy, I promise.

Also, even though McDougal is from FMAB, I play with his character here, he doesn't go the way he does in the anime. Just a heads up.


	3. The Blue Squad

"You seem real distracted," Jean pointed out, casually lighting a cigarette.

Alee looked at him glumly from across the table in the busy, noisy mess hall. Maybe if she'd actually been hungry, she would've chastised him for smoking while she was eating, but she'd lost her appetite a long time ago. Now she just sighed and pushed her plate away.

"Is it the raids?" he continued, leaning forward onto his elbows.

She shook her head.

"Well, they've got me going for sure. It's like, since we've captured their leader, the whole organization has all disappeared. I'm not stupid; I know they're out there, and I _know_ they're just waiting around for the right time..."

"Sorry, but are you talking about the Blue Squad?"

"Yeah. I can't track 'em."

"Did you send Breda out again?" Alee chuckled, glad for the distraction from Isaac. "I couldn't help but notice he's not here."

Jean frowned and puffed on his cigarette.

"Not happy, huh?" She imagined the hefty Second Lieutenant's face when he found another empty warehouse and realized he'd been sent on yet another wild goose chase by Jean. She had to laugh.

"Anyway, it's not like it's my fault!" Jean huffed, crossing his arms defensively. "The higher ups keep breathing down my neck for results when they hardly give me _anything _to work with! How am I supposed to catch ghosts?"

"Lieutenant Colonel!" someone called from across the hall. "Lieutenant Colonel!"

Alee looked up, surprised, as a bespectacled young man with a sweet, boyish face and black hair ran up to their table and saluted.

"Sir, Colonel Mustang says it's imperative that you come to C-sec as soon as possible." After a moment's consideration, he added, "You too, Havoc."

Needing no further invitation, they abandoned their lunches and followed Fuery out of the mess hall.

"What's wrong, Sergeant?" Alee asked as they walked briskly down the hall, all business.

"It's General Hakuro. We think he's on a train that's just been hijacked by the eastern extremists—"

"Lemmie guess," Havoc said dully.

"—the Blue Squad."

Havoc groaned, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Stow it, Havoc," Alee ordered, casting him a sympathetic look. "Any ETA on the train to East City Station?"

"Breda was working on it when the Colonel sent me to get you. He'd just gotten back to HQ when we got the call."

"Just our luck," Alee mused. "And I thought this was going to be an easy day."

The three of them quickly turned a corner and Fuery led them through the first door on the right. All kinds of beeps and whirs and typing and chatter greeted them as they entered the large room. Soldiers flitted from screen to screen relaying orders, getting intel, reporting back. The whole room was buzzing; lights winking, every radio in use.

"Heeeeyyy," a large, scruffy man greeted, raising his steaming cup of tea. "Glad you could join the party, sir."

"Second Lieutenant Breda," Alee acknowledged, striding towards him. She noted with distaste that his uniform was unbuttoned and wrinkled, as usual. How many times would she have to remind him to clean up before he would listen?

"Fuery, the Colonel wants you back on intel," Breda said gruffly, waving what looked like a time table.

The boy nodded curtly and rushed past them.

"You'll get it big time now, buddy," Breda teased Havoc, eyeing his friend over his cup.

Havoc scowled at him, about to retort but Alee quickly cut him off. "Where is the Colonel?"

Breda turned and pointed back behind him wordlessly.

"Thank you. Come on, Havoc," Alee said briskly, heading in the direction Breda had pointed.

As they passed him, Havoc stuck out his tongue at Breda who swiped at him with the time table.

"Would you two _cut it out_?" Alee snapped. "I swear, you two act like _children_."

"You're one to talk," Havoc shot back.

Colonel Mustang was bent over Sergeant Fuery as he worked furiously at a typewriter, headphones over his ears. Lieutenant Hawkeye hovered nearby him, his constant shadow.

"Sir," she addressed him, saluting. "You summoned us?"

He looked up and nodded. "Yes. You've been filled in, I imagine?"

"Yes, sir. Are we sure the General is on board?"

He shrugged. "Fuery's getting the guest list now. I sure wish one of my _subordinates_ who was _assigned_ to track down Blue Squad had actually _done his job_—"(Jean scowled and pulled out a cigarette.) "—now we're all stuck here." Roy cupped his chin in his hand and leaned towards Alee conspiratorially, saying, "I guess the general's just going to have to sacrifice himself so that we can wrap this thing up right away…"

Alee smiled and shook her head at him.

"Don't be ridiculous, colonel," Fuery said, voicing Alee's thoughts as he pulled off the headset. He reached forward and tore a piece of paper off his typewriter and handed it back to Roy. "Here is the list of passengers, sir."

Havoc sidled closer to Roy to look over his shoulder. "Ah. Old man Hakuro really is on board with his family," he said, glancing up at Alee.

"Shall I mobilize a team to intercept the train, sir?" Alee asked.

"Good grief…" Roy muttered, ignoring her. "I'm sure he knew that the situation out east is unstable, and yet he still comes here on vacation…" He rubbed his temple and scanned the page again. Suddenly, his face lit up. "Hold on, everyone!" he announced loudly. "I think we can go home earlier today than we thought."

Everyone paused in what they were doing to stare at him in confusion.

"Sir?"

Roy looked up at Alee, smiled, handed her the list and said, "The Fullmetal Alchemist is onboard."

Everyone relaxed but Alee. Fullmetal was a good kid and all, but a hothead; he was just as likely to do more damage than to be helpful with this hostage situation.

"As for intercepting the train," Roy continued, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "no need. Assemble a cleanup crew, that's all that will be necessary. Have them ready to be at East City Station at—what time, Breda?"

"Three fifteen, sir," he answered promptly from across the room.

"Yes, there you are then."

He motioned for Lieutenant Hawkeye and they started to leave.

"But sir," Alee complained, following him as he strode through the door. "I don't think that's a good idea. You know how the boy is—"

"And so do you," Roy cut her off sharply. "Elric is more than capable of handling these terrorists—probably not discreetly—but he'll handle them nonetheless." He lowered his voice to a whisper and beckoned for her to come closer. "Listen AJ, I _know_ you're itching to fight. Your talents are squandered here in East City. I get it. I'm frustrated too. I'm reduced to lighting Havoc's cigarettes sometimes, just so I can put on my gloves. It's boring, it's demoralizing, I _know_, but we can't go mixing up in things unnecessarily. Think of it this way, if the general gets murdered, would you rather it be your fault or Fullmetal's?"

Alee rolled her eyes at him. "That's selfish! I just think that since this is happening in our district, we're the ones responsible. We should be taking care of it."

Roy smirked at her. "Just got transferred and you're already trying to leave? You won't attract anyone's attention with theatrics, trust me. I've been trying for years." He and Hawkeye stopped in front of his office door; his hand hesitated on the knob. He turned to Alee with an impish grin and said, "Face it, Alee: you're stuck here with me for good."


	4. The Price of Playing God- Part 1

~Author's Note~

The chapters now, get long. I will start posting them in two, maybe three parts, if need be. And the second part of this chapter is where things get heavy. The rating will be changing. Soon. Also, to alert you in advance, my story changes a few details from the original. Just a few, and not major ones so fear not! Now, without further ado:

Alee sat in the passenger's seat of the sleek, black, unmarked military car with Edward and Alphonse Elric sitting in the back seat behind her.

Much to her annoyance, just as Roy had predicted, Fullmetal had taken care of the terrorists with all his typical gusto: he wrecked the train. The remnants of Blue Squad was now in custody, to be dropped off at Headquarters and moved to holding cells to await their trials. General Hakuro was being escorted to the hospital with his family, while all the other passengers were deferred and redirected to a new train at a new time. It was inconvenient, but no one had died. So all in all, everything worked out rather nicely.

After the mayhem, Roy had announced to everyone to take the rest of the day off before scampering away himself. On their way back to their cars, Jean requested with flushing cheeks to spend the rest of the evening in Alee's company. Happily, she accepted his invitation to dinner, excited butterflies swirling in her stomach. She began to feel as if she was sixteen again, worrying about trivial things like hair and outfits, wondering if there would be enough time to get ready before Jean swung by her apartment. It had been so long since she'd been on a date (a year, at least! Not since breaking up with Alex) and she could hardly control her wild heart. There was still one order of business, however. She and Warrant Officer Vato Falman had to escort Ed and Al to their hotel. It wouldn't take long, but the excitement clashing with the silence in the car made her anxious.

Alee sighed and cast a sidelong glance at Falman's slim profile. Nothing. He'd never spoken more than a few words to her since she'd arrived in East City despite everyone's assurances that most of the time, they could never keep his mouth shut. At first, she'd thought that the highly intelligent soldier didn't like her, but when she admitted this to Jean one day, he had laughed at her.

_"Oh, no! It's not like that at all," he assured her as he, Alee, and Breda slid into their normal table in the back corner of the noisy, crowded mess hall. Sunlight streamed into the room from a tall, nearby window, bathing them in pleasant warmth, the last rays of summer._

_"Well then, what?" Alee exclaimed, picking croutons out of her salad. _

_"Well, see, Falman..." he began delicately, exchanging an uncomfortable glance with Breda._

_Breda rolled his eyes at Jean and grunted, "He thinks you're beautiful! He can't talk to you. He gets tongue-tied." He then took a huge bite of one of his hotdogs. _

_"Just throw it out there, why don't you?" Jean snapped irritably, biting into his sandwich. _

_Breda just shrugged and devoured the rest of the hotdog in one bite. _

_Alee sat for a moment in stunned silence. "So he can't even talk to me?"Jean and Breda shook their heads. "Nope." _

_"That's ridiculous! I don't believe it. You guys are messing with me." _

_"Believe it," Breda said, digging into his next hotdog. _

A month later, Alee had still hardly heard a peep from the silver haired man. She tried to deal with him either indirectly or as little as possible because she always felt bad about it, like it was somehow her fault he wouldn't speak. Somehow though, he'd ended up as their driver.

Desperate to break the silence, she turned back to Ed and Al and smiled. "What brings you guys here to the lovely East City?" she chimed.

"Lovely? You're kidding, right AJ?" Ed said flatly.

"I was trying to be positive about my situation," Alee protested.

"Riiiiiight," the little blonde boy drawled. "You were transferred from Central recently, right?"

"Yep. A month ago."

"Why?" Al interjected in his high pitched voice.

"I'm not sure," Alee admitted to the large suit of angular armor that served as Al's temporary body. Like Alee, these boys had committed the sin of human transmutation and paid a heavy price: Al with his body and Ed with his arm and leg. No one was supposed to know, but Alee was wiser. That earned them a soft spot in her heart. She had tried to look out for them as best as she could while she was in Central, serving the Feürer.

"That sucks. I feel bad for you, being stuck here with the Colonel and his cronies. Why don't you ever just leave?" Ed asked casually, blowing his golden bangs out of his eyes.

Alee laughed shortly. "It's my job, Ed. I, unlike you, have duties. I'm an adult. I can't just travel the world of my own free will," she said uneasily. Ed's words had reminded her of Isaac's advice to leave the military and the country. She couldn't find it in herself to leave it all behind.

"Uhhhhh... I'm pretty sure you can ask for the leave like we did," he pointed out haughtily.

"Here," Falman interjected, pulling over in front of a tall, grand hotel with the Amestrian Military seal, a roaring red dragon, emblazoned on either side of the polished gold lettering reading: Hotel of Amestris.

As they got out of the car, Alee observed the bustling street before the intricately furnished, marble building. Not many people outside the military used these hotels—they were far too expensive— but that didn't stop the civilians from greedily looking in at the grandeur beyond the glass. Past the revolving frosted glass doors was a high luxury lobby, complete with a grand fireplace large enough for several people to stand in and several plush lounge chairs and couches.

The four of them strode straight to the oak front desk and Edward placed his silver State Alchemist pocket watch on the counter, demanding, "One room, please." With amusement, Alee noticed that his head was the only part that cleared the countertop.

The official gave him a room and a dubious look, then Falman and Alee helped take their things up.

On the fifth floor, they walked into a room that was just as impressive as the lobby, with perfectly plastered and frescoed walls, a large four poster bed, a couch and a carved coffee table. Falman let out a low whistle; she didn't even blink at it. Alee had stayed in these hotels a few times in her life before, but she now preferred more modest places. This place stirred memories of a home she hated; she didn't like the reminder.

"Quaint," Alee commented begrudgingly, dumping their suitcase on a chair. "But where is Alphonse supposed to sleep?"

"Oh, I don't," Al chirped, ducking through the doorframe. His gigantic body made the room look even smaller. "This body doesn't need sleep."

"Convenient."

Edward trudged into the room and lay down on the bed with a huge sigh.

Addressing Falman, Alee said, "Listen, I'll meet you back at the car in a bit. Just give us a minute, okay?"

He nodded mutely and left, closing the door behind him.

"Have you guys found out anything about your bodies?" Alee asked quietly after Falman left.

"Nothing," Alphonse sighed.

"That's why we came here," Edward said, sitting up. "We were hoping Colonel Mustang knew where we could learn more about bio-alchemy. Do you know anything?"

Alee considered admitting to them that she, in fact, researched bio-alchemy, but lost her nerve and shook her head instead. "The only one who might know something about what you're looking for is Shou Tucker, you know, the Sewing-Life Alchemist?"

Edward shook his head, amber eyes glinting, round, childish face alight with interest. Sometimes, when looking at his record and seeing everything he's done, Alee forgot he was only fourteen.

"He's pretty new. He was only just initiated two years ago. Falman is waiting for me, so Roy can fill you in better in the morning," she said hurriedly. She didn't like Shou Tucker. Something about him just didn't sit right for her. "One thing before I go. You haven't heard anything about the Freezing Alchemist have you?"

"No. Why?" Ed piqued.

Alee chewed her lip thoughtfully, considering telling them. She really didn't want to upset anybody or make anyone else worry, but the fact that Issac has completely fallen off everyone's radar was making her especially uneasy. "I just haven't heard from him in a while," she said casually.

"I'm sure he's okay," Alphonse said, gently laying a giant, gauntleted hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at the seven foot tall suit of armor that was a thirteen-year-old boy and smiled. These boys never gave up, not on themselves and not on anyone else. It didn't matter what subject they were discussing. Alee was rather fond of them, especially at times like these. Alphonse, particularly, reminded her of her own brother, which is why she so desperately hoped they would find a way to get their original bodies back. To her, it seemed unlikely, but she couldn't help but hope and wish, for their sakes.

"I shouldn't keep Falman waiting any longer. I guess I'll catch you two tomorrow," Alee said, turning to go.

"Sure thing," Ed called.

Alee waved over her shoulder and left the room.

So no one knew anything about Isaac. She thought that, maybe, since they travelled so much, they might have heard something. Figured. The fact that he had dropped inexplicably off the map was worrisome. It was more than likely nothing. Isaac was fine, doing whatever shady thing deranged-Isaac was up to nowadays. Everything would be fine.


	5. The Price of Playing God- Part 2

The days with Fullmetal around flew by. Something inexplicable happened. Alee seemed to perk up with the boys running around, enough that everyone in the office had noticed. She was happy; keeping the boys occupied by day and then spending every evening with Jean. She began to sincerely look forward to the end of her shift when she would accompany Jean to pick up the Elrics. This part of her day meant playtime, which is what the Winter Alchemist loved best.

Shou Tucker owned a manor estate in the heart of East City with a rather spacious lawn that made a perfect playground. He'd gotten the place after becoming a State Alchemist, but the poor man's wife had left him just before and refused to make any contact with him. His had been the typical hard life of a struggling, nameless alchemist before he'd managed to pass the State Licensing exam with a sensational, talking chimera. Now, his renewal date approached, and every time Alee talked to him, he was confident about it. She couldn't wait to see what he would come up with because his chimeras meant something profound for her own research. Transmutation of living tissue was what kept her State License, and she was always eager to hear about when other alchemists dabbled in the same subject. Often, she had tried to talk with him about it. He would never say much, just a few details, but Alee found it fascinating.

Lately, Alee, Ed, Al, Tucker's daughter, Nina, and their giant, fluffy dog, Alexander, spent quite a bit of time out in the yard. Alee's favorite parts were the snowball fights; the look on Nina's face when she first saw a snowball was absolutely priceless! She had then dazzled the girl with flurries ever since. That was the kind of thing that made the steep price of her alchemy worth it. Using her alchemy to help others and to dazzle children was all she ever really wanted out of it.

Which made it all the more ironic that it was so often used as a weapon.

It was three days now since Ed and Al came, and Alee had enjoyed every second of it.

But today…today, she was edgy.

A sharp knock on her door startled her. "Uhh…" How long had she been sitting at her desk, staring into space? "Come in."

Jean poked his head into her office and smiled. "Ready, sir?"

Was it that time already? Alee glanced at the clock over the door. It was true. Four fifty already, their normal departure time.

Alee jumped up and grabbed her uniform jacket off the back of the chair. "You know, Jean, you don't have to call me 'sir,'" she teased, following him out of her office and down to the car garage.

"I do, _sir_," he replied cheekily, glancing at his watch, "for another four minutes."

They got in the car, playfully arguing about technicalities, and drove off to Tucker's house.

When they arrived, the children weren't outside waiting. Alee knew, in her heart, something was terribly wrong. They weren't outside, and the house was too still.

She motioned for Jean to be alert and drew her standard issue sidearm as she got out of the car. Alee crept forward and peeked in through the window. Seeing nobody, she tried the door. It swung open easily, eerily. As she was about to go in, Jean stopped her with his arm, indicating he was going on instead. Alee frowned, but didn't argue. His gun at the ready, Jean stepped in hesitantly, eyes darting over stretching shadows. There were no lights on inside, and they were losing the daylight fast.

Alee strained her ears, easing in after him. There seemed to be a sound far off that she couldn't quite place. It was muffled, but it seemed to float down from upstairs.

"Tucker?" Jean called suddenly, making Alee jump three feet into the air.

"Damnit, Jean!" she hissed, smacking him in the shoulder. Her heart hammered in her ears now and she struggled to force herself to be calm. Where were the boys?

"Havok? Is Alee there?" Al's squeaky voice called from upstairs.

Alee darted forward. "I'm here!" She sighed in relief when she came around the corner of the entryway and spotted the boy in armor at the top of the staircase, perfectly alright. Then for a moment, she panicked. "Where's Ed?"

"Here," he said glumly, appearing next to his brother.

He definitely looked the worse for wear, defeated and haggard. His right sleeve was splashed with dark splotches; she didn't have to be any kind of detective to know it was blood. He stared at her, crazed, desperate; the poor boy looked on the verge of tears.

Jean reacted faster than she did. "Are you hurt, Fullmetal? What happened?"

Edward choked on a sob and covered his face. ""It's Nina! He did it. He did it to them! Nina and Alexander…. That _monster_!"

Alee's heart plummeted, the blood draining from her face. A talking chimera, of course! She cursed herself for being so foolish. The _only_ plausible way to get an _animal_ to talk would be to infuse it with an animal that could: a human. She felt her stomach twist.

"We locked them in the basement," Al said quietly, holding his shaking, sobbing brother. "In his lab. We didn't know what else to do…"

Alee nodded and turned to Jean saying, "Call the Colonel. We're in for a long night. Get those kids out of here, will you?"

Jean nodded grimly and holstered his gun.

Alee didn't wait. She leveled her gun angrily and moved on to the basement door.

It was a crime—a heinous crime!—to fuse that little girl with their dog. He'd done it before though, hadn't he? The Sewing Life Alchemist had made another chimera, an artificially created animal, combined with alchemy. She remembered with disgust how much she had admired it. Two years ago, his talking chimera gave him his license. This chimera that happened to appear just after his unreachable wife left him. Too convenient to be coincidental. Alee ground her teeth furiously as she stared at the basement door. She was supposed to refrain judgment until his trial, but she already knew what the jury would say. Human transmutation was _against the law_; justice would be served, she knew. But _his own daughter_? Death wasn't enough for something so inexcusable. Alee tried to control her shaking before she went down there and beat him to death herself.

Finally steeled, she opened the door and descended down the dark passage to the dimly lit laboratory. Animals of all sorts stirred restlessly in their cages, but none made a sound. Books were strewn around the room, on the desk, across the floor. Alchemical symbols leered menacingly on the walls, all pointed accusingly at the figures sitting in the middle of a large transmutation circle on the floor. Tucker slouched dejectedly, Nina stared vacantly.

No. Alee couldn't afford to think of the creature before her as Nina. It was an animal now. A great, hunched white animal, with a black mane and deep, sad, black eyes. It was a chimera now.

Alee almost lost it. She struggled for control again as she looked down at Tucker's bloody, hollow face. Seeing that Ed had already taken the liberty of beating it to a near unrecognizable mess gave her a little satisfaction.

"Shou Tucker," Alee said authoritatively, surprising herself with how steady her voice was. Inside, she was a raging beast. "You have broken a basal law of alchemy and now, by order of military law, section eight, I am authorized to place you under arrest until a trial can be arranged. Though I'm sure they'll make quick work of a fiend like you…"

The man sighed. His vacant calm made her furious. "Why can't anyone understand?" Tucker said miserably, petting the chimera.

"I understand you just fine," Alee spat. "You had a taste of the high road and you couldn't stand to give it up. But there are some things _you just don't do_! You killed your daughter for your own personal gain."

"Killed her?" He turned wide, round eyes up at her. He looked utterly baffled. "I gave her a new life!" he reasoned pleadingly. "We cannot move forward without making some sacrifices. It is pure science!"

"No, IT'S GREED!" Alee cocked the gun in a flash of anger. It was all too tempting.

"Sacrifice is necessary. It was something you could never do. That's why your brother died in your care—"

Alee moved in a blur. She holstered her gun and clapped her hands together. The familiar feeling of power coursed through her, from the palms of her hands, surging though her body. It was raw power. It was alchemy.

Before he could finish his sentence, Alee had a hand clasped over his mouth. It would be too easy. She could feel the blood pounding through his veins, ready to obey any command she gave it. She could kill him fast, make it crystallize in spears and puncture every inch of his skin; she could kill him slowly, freeze him cell by cell, vein by vein. After all, the human body was seventy percent water, seventy percent her element.

She squeezed his cheeks in her hand. She made his furiously pounding blood slow, crystallize, freeze. Tucker struggled to breathe beneath her fingers. He was starting to turn blue.

It would be all. Too. Easy….

The chimera spoke. "Don't…hurt…Daddy…" It growled at her.

It only served to make Alee angrier.

"Lieutenant Colonel Justicar, stand down!"

She glanced back to find Colonel Mustang at the foot of the steps, flanked by Hawkeye and Havok.

"But, sir," Alee started through gritted teeth.

"I said, _stand down_, _Winter Alchemist_!"

Unwillingly, Alee relented, releasing Tucker and quickly distancing herself from him. Almost immediately, the color flooded back into his face, though he still shivered violently, shaking off the bitter cold that gripped his heart. She turned away from him before he made her sick.

"Sir, you should've let me—"

"And have you be persecuted for murder? Not a chance. He's not worth that," Roy said calmly. "Lieutenant, handcuff him. We'll take them both back to HQ. They'll figure out what to do with them. No doubt you'll swing for this, Tucker. Then you'll wish the Lieutenant Colonel had given you an icy grave."

Riza and Jean took care of Tucker roughly, pushing him up the stairs, the chimera trotting happily after them, large tail wagging.

"Go…play…?" it asked in its deep gravelly voice.

Alee gritted her teeth, her fists clenched. Had it really been only yesterday that she had played with the cheery, lively girl and her dog? How long had they been the chimera? It wasn't fair. It was painful. And just like so many others, there was nothing she could do to reverse what had been done. There was no way to untwine a chimera. Just as there was no way to bring dead people back. If only there were. When a person had such phenomenal power at their disposal the way Alee, or even Roy did, it was easy to go around, even to really believe that you were untouchable. Thinking that you were a god was not so far-fetched an idea. Then something like this happens. Something so irrevocable, something so impossibly beyond your scope of power, something humbling and terrible. It smacks you down, teaches you a harsh lesson in humility, makes you realize that you are nothing but a pitiful, useless, human being.

"I know what you're thinking," Roy said sadly. "It's awful isn't it? It's terrible to realize there's nothing to do."

"You should've let me kill him," Alee grumbled.

What would that accomplish? It wouldn't change anything."

"It would make me feel better."

Roy laughed humorlessly and placed his hand on Alee's shoulder. "Would it? You're no killer, Alee. Come on, now, let's go back to HQ to file the reports. We can take care of _this_ mess later. I want to leave; it's _freezing_ in here."

"Is it?" She shrugged. She couldn't feel anything, not for a long time.

"Yeah, you may not know this," Roy began, steering her out of the basement, "but when you use your alchemy, the temperature seriously drops."

She stopped dead as he closed the lab door behind her. Tears threatened the corners of her eyes. "Does it, Roy?" she whispered. "I wouldn't know. You know that…."

Roy frowned sadly and nodded. "I'm sorry, Alee."

Alee shook her head, she didn't trust herself to speak, and strode to the waiting car outside.


	6. The Price of Playing God- Part 3

~Author's Note~

Me again. I just wanted to apologize for how short this part is, but it _is_ the ending to the chapter as a whole. I thought it would be longer, otherwise I would have kept it together.

Also, I've been asked for another description of Alee, so here goes:

Alee is fairly tall, 5'6" (that's ~168 cm for my non-American readers ;] I got you!). She is full blooded Amestrian with long, wavy blonde hair to her mid back, and light, sky blue eyes. She's of a medium build and she's got the curves in all the right places (of course), and she's by no means thin or necessarily thick either. She has a slimmer face, high cheekbones, full lips... Is there anything I forgot? She's just a generally good-natured, well-rounded, gorgeous type of gal.

And now, onward!

When they got back to HQ to start the forms, it started pouring rain: the perfectly gloomy end to a perfectly gloomy day.

Yet there was something soothing about doing the paperwork. Filing the report made it easier to take a step back, to remove herself from the incident, to think about Shou Tucker objectively. As horrible and unfair as the whole fiasco was, it was brilliant. Though human transmutation was forbidden, it didn't mean it didn't have huge implications and prospects for moving forward. If Tucker could successfully fuse the tissue of two completely different organisms, didn't that mean that fusing the same tissue would be easier? Human transmutation within a living human, with their own tissues, seemed more possible than ever. Her elusive dream felt close. The whole reason she even became an alchemist was coming together in her mind. If only she could get in Tucker's lab to see his research. If only William had made it to see this final stage.

Alee grit her teeth against the pain that seared in her chest. William would never have made it this long, and it helped no one to think of him. Tucker had been right. It was her own cowardice that killed him. It was true that she let her brother slip between her fingers for fear of making a mistake, but had it really been better to do nothing and let him die? She swallowed the lump in her throat and fought the stinging in the corners of her eyes. But maybe she could do it now, for him…

Slamming the manila folder containing her report closed, she grabbed her coat and made to leave. _Roy would have all of Tucker's files_, she thought to herself. Outside her door, she checked the hallway and headed to his office. _He should have left already…_

When she reached his large, wooden, double doors, she glanced around her, and tried the handle. Locked, of course.

She pressed her palms together, and focused the energy into a long, spindly pick that froze into existence in her hand. After checking her surroundings again, she picked the lock and with some work, it swung open and she sidled in, shutting it behind her.

It didn't take long for her to find what she was looking for. Tucker's files were stacked in a neat pile on Roy's desk, waiting for him to check and sign each one before they got locked away forever. This research had just become too deadly and dangerous to be put in the public library, even if the only people with access were State Alchemists. It was now or never for her.

Alee flicked on the desk lamp and began shifting though files. Some were obviously not what she wanted: alchemical profiles and evaluations of his bad assessments. When she did finally find the data on his first chimera, the notes were shady and vague at best. Curse Roy Mustang for not doing his work properly!

Feeling disappointed and frustrated, she was about to quit the room when she spied another, jumbled stack of papers and books. With a glimmer of hope, she poured over them.

This was it. Tucker's notes. She read them greedily.

It _could_ be done! The fusing aspect was what made chimeras especially difficult but she wouldn't have to worry about that, the essence was the same! "Humans take to the transmutation unlike any animal I've ever used," Alee read. "By focusing on the internal energy—the flow from brain to heart to lungs, every part of the body as a movement or a cycle—the body will react and become pliable. It moves for me, fills in the blanks that I cannot see. I act as a guide, not a god."

Alee's heart soared! So the trick was that simple? The body won't do what you _want_, but it will do what you_ ask_? The key was in the method of transmuting. She laughed aloud and clutched the leather notebook to her chest.

_Will, I could do it!_ It would take refinement. Work. Perfecting. But by her next assessment… Maybe she could even be promoted, or reassigned! Any way out of this lifeless place.

Lightning flashed through the large window pane behind her, jarring her back to reality.

This was all for another time; now she had to leave Roy's office before she got caught and go home to plan.

Taking care that everything was replaced just the way she found it, Alee locked up his office and vacated the building. Once down the marble steps, she pulled the collar of her overcoat up against the rain and hailed a taxi home to her apartment in the far less populated western sector.


	7. The Eyes of a Killer- Part 1

Alee was jarred from tumultuous, haunting dreams by the phone ringing. Still fuzzy from sleep, she answered in a daze.

"Alee?"

It was Riza. What _on earth_ was she calling for?

"Sorry for waking you so early, sir, but you need to get dressed now and come to Tucker's house." Her sharp voice was still calm and crisp as always, but there was something unsettling about it.

"Why? What's wrong?" Alee asked, immediately alert.

"Tucker and the chimera have been murdered."

A kind of chill swept through her body and she shuddered. Who would do something like that? The house was surrounded. By armed guards, no less! Were they all dead too? The murderer had to be crazy, or had to be multiple people, or it had to be an inside job…. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

When her cab pulled up to Tucker's manor, it was swarming with soldiers. Sheets covered two bodies on the ground outside the gate, stretchers beside them, waiting to be loaded. Blood ran thickly into the sewers. The place was a mess.

Alee hurried inside, hoping it would be better there. Inside, there was no rain to wash the muck down the sewers. Here, bodies lay in glistening pools, blood congealing over everything nearby…

Before it could register, she took the stairs two at a time, skidding to a halt in front of Tucker's room where sheets covered two more bodies. Here, blood spattered the walls and bathed the room in a foul faintly iron stench. Alee wrinkled her nose and tried to suppress the flashbacks the smell stirred in her mind.

Still more soldiers lingered in the room, at least five, scouring the room for evidence. In the center was undoubtedly the bodies of Tucker and the chimera. Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes crouched by one body while Major Alexander Armstrong stood nearby, his hands clasped behind him. Roy stood with Riza across the room, looking out the window; his hands gripped the sill with white knuckles.

Alee swallowed her dread, clicked her boots together, and snapped off a crisp salute. "Lieutenant Colonel Justicar, reporting, sir."

Roy turned to her, the relief showing on his face. "At ease," he sighed. "I'm glad you're here, Lieutenant. Maybe with your background, you could shed some light on this."

Alee nodded, not caring to know what "background" which he referred to, and turned to Hughes and the sheets.

He greeted her genially, his spectacled face stretching into a wide, bright grin. He was the only man Alee knew who could brighten a whole room— even one as dismal and blood-spattered as this— with a smile. "Good morning, Lieutenant Colonel Justicar," he said warmly. "You get lovelier every time I see you—though not as lovely as my own Gracia, of course…"

"Morning Lieutenant Colonel Hughes." Alee practically found herself laughing despite their surroundings. "Morning, Alexander."

"Hrm, uhm, good morning, Alee," Alexander managed through his thick, blonde, exquisitely curled mustache. He blushed, ran a hand over his clean shaven head, and studied the ground like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Unlike the mutual understanding with Roy, Alee knew she had crushed Alexander by leaving him after only a few months. She couldn't explain to him her reasons and now they were strained but cordial.

As she approached the sheets apprehensively, Hughes turned and attacked Roy. "Man, we didn't come all the way out here from Central to do an autopsy."

Roy grimaced and ran a hand through his hair, saying through gritted teeth, "Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, you don't need to remind us of our mistake. Please, just take a look…"

"If this guy really used his own wife as an experiment," Hughes said as Alee crouched down beside him and he raised the sheet, "it must have been divine justice."

Alee couldn't agree more, though she didn't say so. She was secretly glad Tucker had been killed though she wished that she could have had the pleasure.

Peeking under the sheet with Hughes and Alexander, she had to stifle a gasp. The amount of blood soaking into the carpet was obscene. Chunks of flesh and bits of bone were scattered here and there. The Tucker's skull was half missing, almost completely obliterated, but something about it stirred recognition deep inside her. She tried to focus on the edges, she tried to find other missing body parts to confirm her suspicions—

—the sheet dropped back into place. "Eww… Just as I thought," Hughes sighed, standing up. "Did the guards outside die the same way?" he asked Roy, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his hands.

"That's right," Roy replied evenly, crossing his arms."They were in pieces—or getting that way—as if they were blown apart from the inside."

Hughes and Alexander exchanged a meaningful glance. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Major Armstrong?"

"Yes," Alexander replied. "There's no doubt about it. _It's him._."

"Him?" Alee asked quizzically, momentarily distracted from racing thoughts.

"He's a serial killer who has only been targeting alchemists with a state license. We've been investigating him in Central City," Hughes said seriously. "He's been nicknamed, 'Scar.'"

"'Scar?'" Roy repeated skeptically.

"We don't know his name, so that's what we call him," Hughes said with a shrug.

"Not only his background a mystery," Alexander added, "but we don't even know what kind of weapon he uses or what his intentions are. It seems like he's everywhere. The only information we've received about him is that he has a large x-shaped scar on his forehead."

Alee looked back at Tucker's body, her brain struggling to make connections. There was something painfully familiar about all of it. Then it clicked. "His weapon, if I had to guess, I'd bet anything it's alchemy."

Hughes and Alexander stared at her, unconvinced. "He uses alchemy to kill alchemists? A little counterintuitive, don'chya think?" Hughes sighed.

"It looks to me like destruction level alchemy," Alee said firmly. "You wanted my opinion, there it is. Don't you think I've spent enough time with that Crimson Lotus _monster_ to know destruction when I see it?" Alee scowled, challenging each of them in turn. They shifted uncomfortably and cast down their eyes, an unpleasant silence settling over them. The past couple days were dredging up unwelcome memories everywhere and she wasn't appreciating it. First her brother, then her fiancé. She tried and failed to shake the awful memories: his eyes, his smirk, his cruelty…

Finally Hughes nodded. "Maybe… There's no way to know for sure until we apprehend him. This year alone he's killed five alchemists in Central. In the country, he's killed a total of _ten_."

Roy frowned and murmured, "Yes, we've heard the rumors out here in the East as well."

"We have? You didn't think it would be a good idea to _inform_ me?" Alee demanded of him.

"I didn't want to worry you," he shrugged.

"Well you _should_ be worried, both of you," Hughes snapped. "Just between you and me, I heard that he even killed old man Grand."

"_What_?" Alee exclaimed. Grand? How could _Basque_ Grand be dead? Impossible!

"Brigadier General Grand, the Iron-Blooded Alchemist?" Roy cried. "He's a military martial arts expert!"

"It might sound crazy," Hughes scowled, "but believe it or not, a guy this tough is roaming the city. Let me give you two some advice: double the security staff and lay low for a while. I'm asking you this as a friend."

Hughes' words sunk in slowly. A madman was now running around East City, a state alchemist killer, no doubt with Roy and herself as prime targets. Alee was used to people hating her—sometimes, she hated herself just as much—but someone trying to kill her? That was different. If this Scar guy did ever come to try, he'd be in for a rude awakening. The Winter is bitter and ruthless and powerful.

A new thought occurred to her. "Hughes," Alee gasped. "Isaac. He's been missing. Is he… Has he..?"

She didn't like how Hughes turned away from her.

"No…"

"I'm so sorry, Alee," Hughes mumbled, taking off his glasses to wipe them distractedly. He still didn't look at her. "We didn't want you to find out this way. We discovered his body in the middle of a street on the outskirts of Central. By the looks of things though, he put up a good fight."

Alee stood in stunned silence, blinking away tears. After all the searching… It never occurred to her to look at obituaries. Why should she? Isaac was strong and capable and, deranged as he was by the end, very intelligent. To think he was dead… How long had he been dead and she'd never even known it? How long ago was his funeral and no one had even informed her? Now all she had left were his last moments on the phone, all conspiracies and wild messages.

"I'm very sorry," Hughes said sincerely, laying a hand on her arm. "But he wouldn't want you to suffer the same fate, so you have _got_ to listen to me. The only well-known alchemists out in these parts are you, Mustang, and Tucker, right? With what happened to Tucker, you guys really can't let your guard down—"

"Oh no…" Roy hissed suddenly, looking around. "You!" he shouted, pointing at a soldier, "Confirm whether the Elric brothers are still at their lodgings. On the double!"

"Huh? Hey! What is it?" Hughes cried.

Alee's heart plummeted. The Elric brothers; were they wandering around? With a killer on the loose? They were only children!

"Oh, Colonel, I spoke to them as I was leaving HQ," piped Riza. "They were walking down Main Street."

"At a time like this!" Roy groaned. "Bring the cars around! All spare hands, report to the Main Street area!" He hurried from the room with Riza and Alexander, Hughes and Alee trailing behind.

Alee hoped against hope they would find Ed and Al first….


End file.
